The Chicago teachers are doing their job really well.
Now let's see what their job is.
By Michael
Price
tThe Chicago teachers currently on strike are very good at their job.
This statement is likely (certain) to be contested ao I will define
my terms carefully to defend it.
By "teachers" I mean those in the Chicago school system
whose job title includes the word "Teacher". By "their
job" I mean that which they must do to avoid being fired.
Clearly what you have to do to avoid being fired is your job. So my
proposition can be restated as "Those whose job title includes
the word teacher in the Chicago public school system are very good at
doing what they need to do to avoid being fired.".
Some might object that it's very hard to get fired in the Chicago PS
system, but why is that so? It is so because of the public
perceptions of teachers. The teacher's union power is largely
dependent on this. If every time teachers went on strike they were
condenmed and the public demanded stern action and no concessions to
those who held education* hostage the union would have much less
power. Certainly the power of unions political contributions allows
them to achieve some goals but which goals? If the public had their
heart set on making teachers accountable then politicians would
oblige them. Union leaders would be told "You can have your
raises, your pensions etc. but on accountablility we can't budge.".
And since their job is to get a deal they'd take it.
So clearly teachers have convinced the public that givng them job
security is important for society. Not only are they convinced of
the value of public school teachers in general but the value of any
teacher who hasn't failed months of appeals.
That is their job after all, to convince people of their value. It
is not to teach, or even to mind, the children . It is to make it
politically impossible to disband or even substantiallly reduce, the
public school system. Currently most people in America and the
Western world generally believe that without public schools their
children would be labouring in sweatshops. Creul taskmasters would
tease them by offering them their newspaper on their 10 minute
lunchbreak, knowing the proles can't read it. Truely this is a
magnificant success on the part of the teachers (helped by their own
steadfast belief in it) especially considering the historical
reality. So disparage them all you want, but remember, they're
probably better at their job than you are at yours.
* I'm well aware that teachers can only hold schooling hostage not education. The public perception is different.